The rapidly increasing incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in South America, eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa has resulted in a global public health challenge. Intestinal fibrosis is a common complication in patients with long-term IBD, which may develop into stenosis and subsequent obstruction. Hitherto, the origin of IBD is unclear and several factors may be involved, including genetic, immune, environmental and microbial influences. Little is known about how the recurrent inflammation in patients with IBD develops into intestinal fibrosis and currently, there is no suitable treatment to reverse intestinal fibrosis in these patients. Here, we review the role of immune components in the pathogenesis of IBD and intestinal fibrosis, including cytokine networks, host-microbiome interactions, and immune cell trafficking.
Keywords: cytokine; host-microbiome interaction; immune cell trafficking; inflammatory bowel diseases; intestinal fibrosis.
© 2020 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.